(CNN) -- In Tunisia, an Islamic party wins the election. In Libya, statements about adopting Sharia, or Islamic law, raise concerns about the future. In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood strategizes about how best to score political gains. In the West, real fears arise that the Arab Spring will spawn new states more akin to the principles of al Qaeda and Hamas than fledgling democracies. Political Islam is sure to be a factor as major change sweeps through formerly despotic nations. But exactly how is a question that is up for intense debate. The idea of political Islam raises eyebrows among secularists, women, minority religions who fear their ways of life will come under serious threat if Islamic parties enforce their will. But some caution against looking at Islam's role too simplistically -- it is, after all, deeply rooted in the region.

And Tunisia, he said, could do the same, where
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Islam could play a public role but with filters.


It's 7 a.m. in Tanauan, the Philippines, and the church bells are ringing for Sunday mass. It's May 2014 and I'm accompanying 11-year-old Jednel and his parents to the weekly service. Jednel is one of the children I have got to know through my work with children's charity Plan International. When Typhoon Haiyan wreaked havoc across the Philippines in November 2013, I was deployed to support the team. Jednel lives in a coastal village in Leyte, which was badly destroyed by the tsunami-like waves that followed the storm. Many of the people attending the church service lost family members and friends, many of whom are now buried in the mass grave outside on the main square. When the minister calls for prayers, the air is thick with sorrow.

For me, hearing his words is testament to the resilience of
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Jednel, his family and the Filipino community.


(CNN) -- Imagine hurtling down a mountain at 60 miles an hour. Now imagine doing it virtually blind. For Kelly Gallagher, it's a thrilling reality. She might not quite reach the speeds of fully-sighted skiers -- Olympic champions can clock upwards of 90 mph -- but it is nonetheless a daunting prospect. It involves a great deal of trust in her guide, Charlotte Evans, a former skier herself who will play a key role in their chances of success at next month's Winter Paralympics in Sochi. "I don't really have depth perception, so snow in particular is quite difficult," Gallagher tells CNN's Human to Hero series. "I definitely need Charlotte to be able to help me ski."

It's then up to
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Gallagher to make adjustments as she's warned about a difficult patch, told to "tuck" or, conversely, drop speed.